


The flower child

by youngvalcano



Series: Minority fairy tales [1]
Category: Cinderella (Fairy Tale), Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Les Fées | Diamonds and Toads - Charles Perrault
Genre: Adding tags in the future, Betrayal, Faking disability, Gift, Kind peasant, Nonbinary Character, Other, Prince Charming - Freeform, Witch - Freeform, curse, evil stepfamily
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 13:49:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13548633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngvalcano/pseuds/youngvalcano
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a beautiful child with a wonderful gift, an evil stepfamily, a handsome prince who refuses to speak, and a kind blacksmith.





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

> Hi people, I would like to say that the reason that I chose to make characters of different ethnicities, sexualities, and gender identities is because everywhere I look I see people idolizing people for the fact that they have blonde hair and blue eyes. I did it for people of color, I did it for the kids who almost never see their own genders as the leads. So all of you out there please accept this as my gift.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they help an old woman, they get what is meant to be a gift. Unfortunately for this child their wicked step family has plans for this gift. Little do they know they are not the only one the old woman encountered.

Once upon a time

   There was a a mischevous fairy. Unlike all the other fairy's this one did not have the ability to bestow the most beautiful gifts to the most kind hearted, they would give gifts that would please the most humble, to some they would give the most beautiful clothes to others they would give sacs of food that could feed a village. These were the gifts that were often the most given. But the fairy will never forget when they gave the most wonderful gift of all. The ability to bestow riches and beauty just by speaking. Who was the one to receive this amazing gift you may ask. None other than the child who disappeared over three years ago. The day before they disappeared the child was sent by their family to fetch some water. At the well an old woman walked towards the child, her sweat on her brow and the heavy breathing coming from her mouth was a sure sign that she needed water. Immediately The child filled their families water pitcher to the brim with water. Insisting that the woman drink the water, the child watched as the woman gulped down swallow after swallow. 

"Thank you" said the old woman as she reached into her cloak "Accept this cake for my gratitude" 

Touched by the woman's happiness from someone helping her the child took the cake and ate it on the way home. When they finally returned home their step family was not happy for how long it took for them to return. By the time the child returned the water was warm from the sun. 

"I was helping an old woman"

Little did the child know that those very words would change their words forever. From their lips fell a tiny bud that grew into a full aster before it hit the ground as well as a chalcedony stone that grew from the size of a pebble to a chicken egg. The second that the stone hit the ground, the entire household went into shock. The second the step family came out of shock they had a unanimous decision.The friends of the family were told that the child was sent to aid an ailing uncle in the next town over, while the truth was hidden, the child suffered. What nobody knew though was that the fairy had a second ability, the ability to bestow the most treacherous curses. To the most wicked the fairy would give famine and disease. The fairy will never forget when they gave the most awful gift. Who was the one with the curse, we will soon know.

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys sorry for taking so long to update, it's scholarship season and I have been swamped. So all you people out there who feel my pain just sit back and enjoy this chapter.

Nobody knew that Charlie never left town.

Nor did anybody know where the step family's new riches came from. Everyday they would go to town in the golden carriage that people would just gawk at, dressed in their finery they would buy whatever captured their interest. After their shopping sprees they would head back home. At home was Charlie, but you would not recognize them if you saw them, the smile that could light up a room no longer existed. They were now the picture of misery. Each day when Charlie's step family left to go to town and the child would be put to work. They would make the beds, scrub the floors, do laundry behind the cottage, and cook dinner for when the family get's home. The worst part was as Charlie did these chores they were forced to sing as well. Before they had the most beautiful singing voice and as they sang they would be happy, until now. Now their health depended on their singing. If there wasn't enough stones to fill at least half of the potato sack in the kitchen then they would get a beating. The flowers they would be ordered to throw away but rather than leave the beautiful flowers Charlie kept them in the attic where no one but them went. The flowers which were often white carnations or lilies were both comfort from work and a reminder of the curse that was meant to be a gift. One fateful day Charlie was preparing the potatoes for dinner when came a knock on the door. Their parents often told them not to answer the door in fear of someone finding out the secret. Charlie was forced to ignore it, but the knocking continued despite how quite the child was. Around the third or fourth try came a voice.

"A message from the king"

Now Charlies's blood went cold. The king did not like to be ignored. Nobody could forget the time that he had a whole family banished for not answering back a door with a messenger delivering reminders of the taxes. If the child did answer that door their whole whole family would suffer. And if the whole family suffered, Charlie would suffer the most, gift or not. Swallowing their fear and biting their tongue, they went to the door. Outside was a young man. Said young man blushed madly at the sight in front of him. Despite being doomed to be shrouded forever in secret, Charlie was beautiful. They had dark skin and large brown eyes, lovely dark lips, and long braids. "Good afternoon" The young man began tipping his overly large feather hat like a gentleman after he finally composed himself. "His royal highness Ferdinand Orion III, is throwing a royal ball, and all eligible people are welcome" The man continued.

Charlie listened to the man as he carried on about the details of the ball such as the time and date until finally the man finished and handed them a giant envelope with shiny golden paint. Tipping his hat with a blush he left and once again Charlie was alone. All that they had now was a golden envelope, half peeled potatoes, a potato sack half filled with jewels, an attic full of flowers, and a fearful heart. Meanwhile, far away over the river, through the winding road, and up on top of the hill sat a castle. Who lived in that castle you may ask, why the king and queen of course, as well as their son. Unlike every other kind and loving king before, this king was a cold heartless one, as well as the queen. Surprisingly, the son was just as cold and heartless as them. The prince would always walk around the castle yelling orders to his servants, his favorite being the pageboy. What was worse was that he did more than yell. He gave the pageboy the most demanding requests.

"Peel these grapes, carry these bags, clean my room, do my lesson work" He would yell.

And after each one he would not thank the page boy rather he would give him a new set of chores. That was until two weeks ago. The prince and his page boy rode their horses through the woods searching for the thrill of the hunt. The prince became thirsty and they stopped at a clearing, the prince sat and drank his wine while the page tied their horses unloaded the prince's horse so it could rest, when he was about to unload his own the prince saw a deer. Immediately the prince grabbed his gun and ran off chasing after it, the thing about how the prince hunted was enough to make the other hunters look in disgust if he were not royalty, rather than kill the animal immediately the prince wanted the animal to suffer. First he would shoot the back left leg and let the animal get away with the fear of a thousand men in its heart, then he would shoot the other back leg simply for the pleasure of seeing it drag the rest of its body. Next he would shoot it's right front leg in the twisted guess whether or not it would continue in a futile attempt to get away, finally he would shoot the only remaining leg and if it did not already lose hope it would have definitely lost hope then. Finally in an act of cruel mercy he would kill the animal on the spot, this deer was a fighter even when it lost all of its legs, this was interesting, getting up and walking towards the deer he pointed his gun on it and put his finger on the trigger. But before he could fire a bullet ... actually nobody knows what happen, but one thing is for sure the prince never spoke again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading, yes I know cliff hanger, not fun for readers, I felt that this was the best way to end the chapter and give it all away later so remember this chapter I'm gonna test you later, comments and kudos are appreciated, bye.


	3. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie's family returns home. And when they find out about the messenger they are less than thrilled, and the King and queen discuss the ball, but will the messenger ever meet the beautiful person again? Or even learn his name?

That night,

Charlie had served dinner when their family's carriage had rolled in. They knew that the family would ask about the king's invitation which was sitting on the table, the child knew that their family would be angry about them answering the door. The first to walk through the door was their sister, Isabel, she smirked when she saw Charlie and their rags, the second to walk in was their brother Hector, he sneered at the food that sat on the dinner table, the third to walk in was her mother,  Rebecca. She stared at the potato sack, like she was wondering how many jewels were inside the sack, finally their father, Haggis arrived, and he was the one to see the King's invitation, and he was not happy.

"You opened the door for someone!"

To say that Charlie was scared was an understatement. They were terrified beyond belief, they tried to explain that the king would have punished them all, but Haggis did not care, immediately the beating began, the screams rang through the house. These screams seemed to entertain the family especially since with every scream came a stone, when their father had finally finished he sat down with his family to eat while the child laid in pain on the other side of the room. The family discussed how they were going to spend the money while the child tried and failed to weep the pain away, the only thing that passed through Charlie's brain was that if their life has not been a catch 22 before it would definitely have become a catch 22 now. Back in the castle the Paige boy laid back in his Paige room, his room was almost as fancy as the royal family's, a big warm soft bed, a balcony, and a closet full of fancy clothes. But he hated all of it, he hated how nobody cared if he was having a nightmare in his bed, he hated how the only view from the balcony was a big dirt and brick pile, he hated how the clothes in his closet looked far to gaudy for somebody who was only the Prince's toy, most of all, he hated how the whole castle did not even know his name. Above his door frame sat only the word page spelt out in iron letters, the royal family had their names spelt out instead of their positions. His name was used so little that the Paige forgot his own name as well, all he could remember was the day he got a job in the castle, but sometimes he would have dreams of his mother at night. They seemed more like memories than a dream, he was about five years old and sitting in his mother's lap while she was rocking back and forth in her rocking chair, she would be humming his favorite nursery rhymes while he reached for her rosary. But when it seemed like she was about to say his name, nothing came out, and then he would wake up, and he would only be left sitting upright in his bed with a scared expression and sadness in his heart. Mean while the king and the queen were getting ready for bed.

"Ferdinand, what are we gonna do about Henry?" the queen asked her husband.

Her husband sighed.

"Rosanne, our son will find her on the night of the ball" Her husband said "We have invited all the eligible rich families and surely one of them will be the ones with the gift". 

"What makes you so sure?"

"If you had the power of jewels falling from your mouth, it is quite obvious what would happen, you would be one of the wealthiest people in the kingdom, possibly the world".

"That is true, good night"

"Good night"

 

 


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night of the ball. And like always the child is forced to stay home, that is until a certain someone returns to send them to the ball, meanwhile the Page is waiting for a special someone. All these two meet once again or will the prince make his strike?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. Sorry I have not updated in a long time, but I've got school and finals are just around the corner so I thought that this would be a good idea to relieve some stress.

Days and days passed,

till finally the night of the ball had arrived. The child sowed clothes, shined shoes, polished jewelry till finally the family was ready, the only one who was not going was Charlie themselves and off the family went in their carriage laughing about how they would gain even more wealth. Little did they know that they passed a certain someone, a beggar woman to be precise, or so it seemed, she walked by without anybody giving her a second glance till she arrived at Charlie's home. Knock Knock went her knuckles on her door, the child did not answer, they stayed quiet hoping the beggar woman would just go away, until...

"I know you're in there."

At this Charlie's blood ran cold. 

"It's me, the one who gave you the gift."

Now Charlie really didn't want to let her in.

"I know you must feel angry, and I am sorry, I did not know that this would happen."

Still Charlie did not open the door. 

"The gift was a thank you for giving me water, for being considerate, but your finally turned it into a gift for them and a curse for you" The beggar woman continued "so I want to make it up to you."

This peaked Charlie's interest and slowly they cracked the door open. 

"I want to help you go to the ball."

That night The Paige sat and watched as that people danced. The Paige was not looking for who had the most rings on their fingers or who had the most extravagant dress, he was looking for the child from the cottage, but still could not see them. Was the Paige bored, yes he was, but as bored as he was, he was also in love, in love with a servant dressed in rags, who has not even spoken a word to him, whose name he did not even know, he was so in love. Meanwhile the Prince danced with every woman, and as each tried to start a conversation with him, he did not say a word. Not a single one of them was the one, not a single one of them could break the curse, he needed the one. That was until a certain someone walked in, all dressed in light blue and with the mask made of swan feathers, the lovely creature caught everyone's attention, everyone whispered to each other wondering who this was and where they came from. But the Paige knew who they were, the child from the cottage, the afro, the mask, and the blue costume did not fool him, he had to go see them, he got up from his seat towards the child weaving past everyone. This was it, he was going to talk to them, find out their every little interest, every little disinterest, their hopes, their dreams, and most importantly, he would finally know the name of the beautiful creature that stole his heart. Unfortunately he was too late, the child was pulled into the arms of the prince, they danced across the floor, neither had said a word. It was then Henry knew this child was the one.


	5. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the ball comes serious questioning, the question on everyone's mind who was that, and the Beggar woman has connections in high places

**DING DONG,**

Went the bells. And off went the beauty in light blue. Through the halls and down the stairs they went, and behind them followed guards and behind the guards came the Paige, they did not catch the child, rather the child was far gone. But on the staircase was a single shoe and right next to it was a rose and a jade stone. The next day was a buzz. The only thing everyone could ever talk about was the Child who ran from the ball and who could this mysterious temptress be.

"She's a slut" said one.

"He's the baker's son" said another.

"She's the daughter of a diplomat."

"He's a Hungarian Prince."

And the rumors went on. Till they finally reached the ears of the castle. And when they did, a full investigation began. And with every lead came another empty hand and with every hand the prince became more fowl, and the fowl the prince became the more the Paige suffered. What was worse was that he knew that he could have ended this, but he did not, some would say that he was being selfish, but those people did not know the Prince like he did. The prince would not love them, he would only love what they could provide, and love is what keeps a relationship moving, not riches, so the Paige was saving the child they loved, and while not in the best way, in the only way for them.

"Wonder who the mystery person is" Said the matriarch of the step family.

"Who cares." Said the patriarch "Only a fool would run away from the prince."

Meanwhile Charlie was patching up a shirt. They looked up, how could they do this, they left the house, they went to a ball, they danced with one of the most affluential members of society, and then they ran away, and now everyone was talking about it.

"It is better that you don't go back" Said the beggar woman.

Charlie watched as she poured molten steel. They were in her blacksmith shop, far away from where Charlie's step family went shopping, the beggar woman had a secret passion, creating jewelry out of whatever she could find in the scrapyard. 

"Whatever do you mean?" 

"That Prince is bad news."

Before Charlie could ask what she meant the door gave a little ring. Inside came the Paige.

 


	6. Chapter 5

_"You!"_

The Paige yelled as soon as he saw Charlie, just as beautiful in rags as they were in light blue silk, but for some reason they had a look of horror an their face, oh how he wanted to take the beauty in his arms and whisper that everything would be alright. 

If only he knew what the problem was, Charlie on the other hand wanted nothing more than to disappear so the secret he found out would not be revealed to the world including their family, so why were they so relieved to see a familiar face. Agatha was drawn, she knew that this Paige worked for the prince and would most likely take Charlie to that awful man and the prince would most likely only use them, but at the same time there was something different about this Paige. She was sure that the look was one of love and not one of malicious intent, would this Paige do the right thing and keep her safe from the monster in the castle or is he too afraid to do so for poor little Charlie. She was about ready to ask what the Paige needed before she was interrupted.

"Do you work for the blacksmith?" he asked Charlie almost immediately

Charlie's head shock for no, maybe this boy was only here to talk to the blacksmith and no one else but luck was not in their favor.

"Then why are you here?"

The Paige immediately began to feel bad, although he did not know what he did wrong, were they here for something as well, maybe they wanted nobody to know, was it horseshoes, was it a weapon, a gift for a loved one, he really hoped it wasn't the last one. Then the blacksmith spoke.

"Is there something you need?"

This seemed to snap the Paige out of his trance

"Oh yes" the Paige said "Our prince needs a new sword."

The blacksmith rolled her eyes but immediately went to work, she was not a fan of the royal family, especially since she was to only one to witness them in their own form. She knew that they stole from their people by offering nothing for their money, she knew that they hid behind falls smiles when they presented themselves to their people.

"he certainly goes through a lot of these."

"He is a fighter."

And just when Charlie was about to leave the Paige turned to Tham again and said something that he never thought that he would say.

"Don't marry the prince."


	7. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first words that were spoken after an era were "I'm sorry" from one enemy from another but no one knows what the enemy's answer was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know what that proverb is.

_"Even Agatha was shocked"_

Never had she heard any of the workers of the royal family defy their orders. She had not even heard of outsiders defying the orders of the royal family.

"The Prince will not love you."

At this point she was sure that the Paige had a death wish.

"You need someone who sees you as amazing not just as someone at the alter."

Then she wondered if he actually had a conscious that only a good person could have.

"So please forget the prince and come with me."

She was wrong he was just a fool. Meanwhile Charlie could not believe what they were hearing.

"I know we just met, but I can't work for a man who is going to do nothing but abuse you, and I loved ever since I saw you at your home."

He recognized them. He saw outside of this mysterious beauty facade that was placed on them, they say them when they wore less than simple rags.

"Let's leave this corrupt place and start a life somewhere else."

And he still loved them. But would that love still exist if Charlie spoke one single word? Would the boy who was not afraid to defy royal blood, who was not afraid to be himself, judge others for doing the same?

"I'll leave it up to you."

Charlie was about to speak.

"Think about what you are doing!" Agatha yelled in concern.

But not even a second later an aster and a piece of jade fell to the ground.


End file.
